1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting electronic components.
The present invention particularly concerns an apparatus for mounting small electronic components on an accurate position on a substrate, such as a printed circuit substrate as a preliminary process for bonding.
2. Prior Art
Hitherto, there have been several types of automatic apparatuses for inserting lead wires of electronic components into through-holes of printed circuit substrate, but such apparatuses are not so accurate in mounting the position of the electronic components themselves since they are designed only to insert lead wires into predetermined through-holes.
Recently, as the size of the electronic components as well as the printed circuit boards has become smaller, a method of contact mounting of small electronic components without lead wires onto predetermined accurate positions of a printed circuit substrate becomes widely used. Such method require very accurate mounting of the electronic components at predetermined positions in order to assure reliable electric connections of small size terminals of the component to conductors on printed circuit boards in subsequent dip soldering operations. Hitherto, such methods have utilized a system of feeding electronic components previously mounted tape, which system mounts the components at accurate positions on a carrying tape, and picking up the electronic components by a suction holding means, followed by mounting the electronic component one by one on predetermined positions of a printed circuit substrate by transferring and rotating the head of the suction holding means for a considerable distance. However, such a system requires the preliminary mounting of the electronic components on the carrying tape and also apparatus for such tape mounting, and such mounting steps and use of the mounting apparatus raises the cost of the mounting process for each electronic component in comparison with the feeding of the components without such preliminary mounted tape. Furthermore, such transferring of the electronic components for a considerable distance may cause inaccuracy of placing the components on the substrate and increase of the time of the mounting.